1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to fishing lures of the type which rattle or otherwise make noise when drawn through the water to attract fish.
2. Description of the Related Prior Art
In the prior art exist fishing lures visually simulating fish or aquatic creatures and including internal chambers holding loose rattle members which impact the walls defining the chamber and produce fish attracting noise or vibration commonly referred to as rattling. Prior art artificial lures commonly known as crank bait and simulating a single swimming fish or aquatic creature and which have rattling capabilities have been used for years in the U.S. and can be purchased in numerous styles in most all fishing supply stores or catalogs.
Spin or spinning herein means or defines rotating in full 360 degree circles, typically in a single direction. A spinner or spinner blade herein means that part of a fishing lure which spins in 360 degree circles when pulled through the water. The present invention, as will become appreciated, preferably does not include a spinner, so as to eliminate the troubles associated therewith.
In the prior art exist fishing lures including spinning blades or spinners which are fish attractants but which have many shortcomings and create problems in certain situations.
When casting, the typically thin, lightweight blades tend to catch the wind and hamper both distance and accuracy of the cast lure. When being pulled through most any type of vegetation, i.e. underwater grasses, moss, millfoil, etc, the spinning blades tend to wrap up and get fouled within the vegetation which immediately imparts the lure useless until retrieved and cleaned. Oftentimes the best fishing is in such vegetation. Even a small piece of grass or vegetation caught at the swivel or on the spinner blade can completely prevent the blade from spinning, and since the lure is designed to attract fish based on the spinning and flashing action of the spinner blade, the lure is substantially reduced in fish attracting capabilities when the spinner blade is jammed. This is not to say that lures that do not incorporate spinners are not effective in attracting fish, but rather, spinner lures when jammed with vegetation simply do not properly simulate an aquatic creature which a game fish may wish to eat. Spinners are normally not associated with "snagless" type fishing lures, although snagless style hooks have in the prior art been associated with spinners, but such snagless hooks do not aid in preventing the spinner from becoming jammed by vegetation.
In the prior art, some attempts have been made to associate rattling with spinners or spinner blade possessing lures using rattle pods, clackers or spinner blades with internal rattle chambers. Locating rattle members loosely within a hollow spinning or rotating spinner is a far less than optimal arrangement because a spinning motion produces centrifugal force sufficient to stop or reduce the rattling sound, and this due to centrifugal force jamming the rattle member(s) tightly against an outer wall during high force, assuming vegetation hasn't jammed the spinner rendering it completely ineffective as above mentioned.
Weighted "jig" type artificial crank baits are well known in the prior art, and simulate an aquatic creature or fish.
Also known in the prior art are artificial crank baits which combine weighted body "jigs" connected with resilient V-wire to spinners, and in some cases spinners having rattle capabilities either built into a hollow chamber within the spinner itself, or located directly in front of or behind the spinner blade and relying on the vibration of the spinner to shake the rattle members to produce rattling. In either case, the spinner must be free or un-jammed to produce any significant rattling.
Patented fishing lures of which I am aware and which I consider similar to my invention yet including significant shortcomings are exemplified in the following U.S. Patents.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,930,247 issued Jun. 5, 1990 for a fishing lure spinner blade with rattle chamber within the spinner blade.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,024,019 issued Jun. 18, 1991 for a spinner bait lure with rattle pod attached in front of a spinner blade and relying on the spinner blade to create shaking or vibration for causing rattling.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,745,700 issued May 24, 1988 for a fishing lure having a buoyant hollow blade-like asymmetrical member connected to the balance of the lure with a swivel connecter allowing 360 degree spinning to allow the buoyant member to rotate and gyrate when pulled through the water. The rotating and gyrating buoyant member of U.S. Pat. No. 4,745,700 has an internal chamber containing loose shot to make rattling noise. Because of the use of the swivel connecter and the references to rotation, the buoyant member having the rattle members appears to spins 360 degrees in a single direction when the lure is retrieved at a fairly constant speed or when "ripped" through the water. "Ripped" as known to fishermen, is a fast jerk of the line and thus lure for a short distance followed by a significant slowing, and this to present a darting baitfish image or action which tends to excite game fish. Ideally, in my opinion, a lure would produce a great amount of rattling when repetitiously ripped through the water, so that the very fast visually noticeable motion associated with ripping not only catches the fish's eye, but is enhanced in its "strike encouraging effect" by a good amount of loud rattling associated with each rip. It is believed that the rotating buoyant member with rattle members of U.S. Pat. No. 4,745,700 would spin in 360 degree fashion so fast during a rip that little if any rattling would occur due to centrifugal force brought about by the rapid acceleration associated with a rip. Some rattling would occur in the lure of U.S. Pat. No. 4,745,700 when the lure slowed and the shot settled to the bottom end of the rattle chamber, but I believe such rattling would be insignificant and would not be occurring at the optimal time.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,201,784 issued Apr. 13, 1993 for a spinner bait fishing lure having a rattle mounted within a carriage such that when an attached spinner blade spins, the carriage is reciprocated to cause a rattling sound.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,619,068 issued Oct. 28, 1986 for a spinner bait fishing lure having a rattle housing mounted in front of a spinner blade such that when the spinner blade spins, the rattle housing is moved to cause a rattling sound.
It should be noted that all five of the above patented prior art lures include many common features to one another. Furthermore, a review of the prior art makes is abundantly clear that the field is crowded and that what might seemingly be a minor structural change to one of ordinary skill may actually constitute a valuable and needed advancement in the field and quite worthy of patent grant thereon.